Shondra – Case Study

Shondra tells you that whenever she has a reading assignment in her Introduction to Biology course, she goes into her bedroom to be alone, closes the door to keep any noise out, and then lies down on her bed and starts reading the chapter. Inevitably, within a few minutes she loses concentration or falls asleep. She tells you the material is so boring that even when she does get through an entire chapter; she has no idea what she has read. Shondra wants to be a physical therapist someday, so it is essential that she pass her Biology course, but with a total of twenty-five chapters to get through this term, she fears she will fail.

Discussion Questions

1. What is Shondra doing right when she prepares to read? What is she doing wrong?
2. What changes could Shondra make to help her stay awake and focused on her textbook as she reads?
3. Does Shondra appear to be following the steps of active reading, and how can you tell?
4. What changes could Shondra make to help improve her understanding of the material she is reading?
5. Do you have any other recommendations that might improve Shondra’s reading comprehension?